


A Soldier's Song

by KelliDiane



Series: Anglo-Saxon Relations [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Anglo-Irish War, F/M, Historical Figures, IRA - Freeform, Irish Republicanism, takes place in Dublin and London
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-16 14:14:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21037535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KelliDiane/pseuds/KelliDiane
Summary: James,I am so sorry that Sean’s disloyalty has caused this for you. I know that I pushed Sean to be cautious and worried about their intentions and this all comes down to me. Words cannot express my regret to you. I want to help in any way I can though.Come to London. See your niece and nephew and meet my newest little one. We will talk in greater detail then- away from prying eyes and eavesdroppers. Loose lips sink ships, love. Tell no one you are meeting me. Tell them you only wish to see your future target. They love hearing that melodramatic shit.Love always,Niall Jamie Horan Cullen StylesORNiall is trying to keep her family and country together. Eventually she'll have to choose.





	A Soldier's Song

Niall takes a deep breath as she listens to the names of the dead soldiers being read out to the listeners. She worries everyday that she’ll hear Harry’s name be on that list, but so far she’s been lucky.

Her hold on Lydia loosens slightly as she makes it through another night of not hearing Harry’s name.

With a sigh of relief, she picks up the telephone. She waits for the connection to be put through and smiles at the sound of an Irish accent coming down the line.

“James? Yeah. I know where they’ll be next.”

——————

_Niall,_

_I know that you married an Englishman and that my brother told you to go to him once he was dead, but you need to know what has happened here. The IRA have come to our home multiple times. They’ve harassed me mum to the point where I don’t feel safe leaving her alone. They told me that Sean was a traitor and that you were a whore that spread her legs for any man. I will not believe that since I saw you with my brother and knew that you loved each other deeply._

_Sean’s butcher shop and your old farmhouse has been burned to the ground. They claimed it was retribution for Sean’s betrayal. They told me that if I didn’t join, they’d rape mum and kill me. I’m terrified of them. I didn’t have a choice. To protect mum and myself, I joined their cause. I’m writing to tell you that I love you and I miss my niece and nephew. Please keep them safe and away from this god forsaken island. _

_Love always,  
Your brother-in-law, James_

Niall blinks back the tears as she reads over the letter James has sent her. She doesn’t know how James found her new address or if all he did was put her name on an envelope and pray it found her. Her heart broke reading the terrible things that happened now that her and Sean were gone. She wanted to give James hope.

But her own dealings with the IRA meant she could not lie.

She kept the letter from Harry, not wanting him to know of her connection back to her country. He had taken such a heavy beating with his superiors when they found out he had married her. They didn’t believe they were truly in love and saw her only as an IRA spy and using Harry’s high ranking knowledge as a weapon. She couldn’t put him in that position again.

She did however think about the accusations.

If she could slip James some information, maybe the IRA would consider him loyal and leave him alone. That’s all they ever wanted- proof of loyalty. That’s why Sean took a blood oath, why he pledged that their son would fight for them once he was old enough. That oath had been broken and they wanted payment.

She had to help him. She quickly set about drafting her reply.

_James,_

_I am so sorry that Sean’s disloyalty has caused this for you. I know that I pushed Sean to be cautious and worried about their intentions and this all comes down to me. Words cannot express my regret to you. I want to help in any way I can though._

_Come to London. See your niece and nephew and meet my newest little one. We will talk in greater detail then- away from prying eyes and eavesdroppers. Loose lips sink ships, love. Tell no one you are meeting me. Tell them you only wish to see your future target. They love hearing that melodramatic shit._

_Love always,  
Niall Jamie Horan Cullen Styles_

——————

Niall places the Sunday roast on the table and takes her seat between her youngest daughter and her husband. They quickly say grace and begin eating.

Aedan talks about his excitement and worry about leaving for boarding school in a week’s time, but Harry does his best to reassure him that he’ll be okay. “Don’t you worry. I went to boarding school until I was eighteen. Look at me now. I have a wonderful home and loving family and I’m well to do in society. Boarding school will be so good for you.”

When Aedan’s tutor recommended boarding school, it had taken Niall by surprise. She knew her son was well smart, but growing up the way she had and the expectations she had had for her family never even leant itself to an opportunity for schooling for her children.

Being with Harry changed everything.

At first, she refused to send her son away. She needed him here- no matter how dangerous their lives were. She knew that their family was often on the receiving end of death threats from both the English and the Irish, but she trusted Harry enough to know when he was truly bothered by a letter or if it was a one off letter. She had never been able to read the difference between an actual threat and a grieving mother swearing revenge because her son was killed in Niall’s home country.

Now though she understood the need for Aedan to socialise with boys of his own age. He didn’t have many friends here in England and it pained Niall to admit that maybe boarding school and living away from the protective reach of his mother would be best for him. “Don’t worry, darling. Harry and I will be right there to drop you off and if you ever need us while away, we’ll hurry to you as fast as we can.”

Teagan smiles sadly at her older brother. “You can take my dolly in case you need a hug.”

Dinner conversation continues with Harry asking the children all about their day and asking Niall if they had behaved themselves. Her answer is the same as always- of course they did.

Once they’ve finished eating, Harry kisses each of the children and retires to his study to finish a few things from work while Niall sets about rounding the children up and getting them ready for bed.

It’s close to eight at night when she finally catches Harry alone in his study. “Can I come in, love?”

He looks up, a tired smile on his face. “Of course. Are the children asleep then?”

She nods and comes into the room, perching herself in his lap. She kisses him, feeling the love and adoration the two had for one another. The one thing with Harry was that no matter the anger or frustration with each other, the love always outshone any other emotion. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Anything you want, love.”

“Don’t make promises you don’t know if you can keep.” She preens under his touch as his fingers comb through her hair. “I wanted to get a job in your office. Maybe like a secretary position or something. With Aedan going off to school and your mother wanting more time with the girls, I thought I could maybe get out more.”

Harry frowns and pulls back to look at his wife a bit better. “You want to work for me… At the military headquarters for His Majesty… To wage a war against your home country?”

“I mean, whatever love I had for my home was gone as soon as they took Sean from me.” Niall tried not to think about her first husband too much. It’s always a sore subject for both her and Harry.

“I’ll see what we can do.”

——————

Niall smooths down her skirt as she fidgets nervously in the elevator next to Harry. His bosses agreed to talking with her about employment, but she’s worried what this will all entail.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. We just get a lot of top secret and highly classified materials that come across this office so they want to make sure they can trust you. I know you’re intelligent and kind and so, so trustworthy. They just need to see that as well.” Harry kisses her temple just as the elevator doors open. He pushes her forward gently as he has to go another two floors up.

She takes one last look at her husband as the doors close behind her and takes a deep calming breath. She can do this. 

——————

“Missus Styles, you’ll have to excuse the extreme questioning, but your previous husband’s connections make you a liability. Harry has vouched for your character and so did Captain Tomlinson, but you must realise how this looks to us. You’ve been here in England for two years now, and your neighbours say they consider you a stranger. Can you clarify why that may be?”

Niall nods slowly and twists her hands in her lap. “Well, I like to keep to myself. I’m still not used to the busy life of London. I grew up on a farm and that’s where I lived when I returned from the war. I’m not used to living on top of people they way you do here. Plus, I have two small children so I try and spend as much time as I can with them.”

The panel of generals seem to huff and talk amongst themselves. “Any particular reason you haven’t applied for English citizenship?”

“I didn’t think I had to,” Niall blinks in confusion. “Technically Ireland is still under the rule of the crown so I figured I was a subject of His Majesty by default. And then when I married Harry I thought I automatically became an English citizen.”

“And your accent?”

At that, Niall becomes annoyed. “I can’t just stop talking a certain way, gentlemen. Look, I understand you think I’m a security threat, but let me tell you what the IRA took from me and then you’ll understand exactly why I want to help you destroy them.”

One of the men holds up their hand to cut her off. “That won’t be necessary. Your husband has already told us of your great adventure across the country. Captain Tomlinson told us you also killed Niall Breslin- leader of the IRA. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

The men look at each other, seeming to make a decision quietly. “Then I don’t see why we should have any qualms in having you work in your husband’s office.”

“Congratulations, Missus Styles.”

——————

“Always be proud of who you are and where you came from, okay?” Niall kneels down to be at eye level with Aedan. She can’t believe her son is going off to boarding school. She knows it’s for the best, but she always hoped to keep him close.

The Leweston School isn’t terribly far, but just far enough for Aedan to have to stay on campus unless on a break. Harry had made the compromise of keeping him close in case of emergency. He had originally wanted to send the boy to Merchiston Castle School all the way in Edinburgh, but Niall had been in hysterics at that idea.

“Of course, mummy.” Aedan smiles brightly and hugs her tightly as the train whistle blares loudly through the station. “I’ll be home soon. Harry said the first term will go by so quickly.”

She dabs at her eyes hearing how grown up her little boy already sounded. “I know, but a mother will always miss her child. I packed your father’s blanket as well should you ever feel homesick.” She kisses the top of his head.

Harry squeezes her shoulder softly. “He needs to board, love.”

“Right,” Niall stands slowly. She watches as Harry hugs Aedan tightly and whispers something that makes the boy smile softly and nod. “Alright, off you get.”

Aedan waves as he heads off to the train steps. He never looks back.

——————

“Harry!”

Niall gasps as she feels her husband release inside her. His hot breath across the skin of her neck is enough to make her skin crawl from being too warm, but she pulls him closer all the same.

Every night since Aedan left, Harry has felt the need to be intimate with her.

“Do you miss him?” She whispers softly.

Harry says nothing, but nods. “Of course. It also stirred jealousy inside me though. I love Aedan, I truly do, but I always thought I would be sending my own son off to boarding school when he was old enough.” He carefully disentangles himself from her and moved to give her a little breathing room. “I want a son, Niall. I want someone to carry on my last name.”

The confession comes like a punch to the gut. She knew that Harry would never treat Aedan or Teagan any differently than he would Lydia or any of their future children, but to hear him say that he was jealous of Sean’s children was another thing. She knows it’s only rational, but it still hurts.

“So that’s why you’ve been more needy than usual. Just trying to get me pregnant.” Her words are joking, but her voice is laced with bitterness.

“No,” Harry sighs and rolls back over to make sure he could see his wife’s face. “I love you and wish we could be this way every night as long as we are together. The fact that you can carry my child only makes it better.” He leans down to kiss her flat stomach. “And this time I’ll be there for everything.”

Niall is quiet as Harry continues to kiss up her body. She doesn’t think she could handle anymore children, but she’d never say that to him.

——————

“Can you make sure your husband sees this? It’s time sensitive and important.” A gruff looking old man places a file on Niall’s desk. A giant red stamp marking reading CONFIDENTIAL stares back up at her.

She swallows slowly. “Of course. I’ll have him come see you as soon as he’s read it. Who should I tell him to visit?”

He looks at her with disdain. “Nevil Macready. And if I were you, I would try a little harder to sound less like those savages across the sea.”

“Excuse me?” Niall isn’t surprised that someone here still doesn’t trust her- she fairly sure no one here trusts her- but her shock at actually being told to her face that she isn’t welcomed because of her accent is new.

He sneers at her and leans forward on her desk. “I loathe your country and the people who live there. The correct place for your people is under a tyrannical rule because your country is worth nothing more than what it’s people equate to- slave labour.”

“Macready,” Harry’s voice barks low and dominant from behind Niall. He had heard Niall’s uncomfortable tone from inside his office and came to investigate. “I do believe you have other matters to be attending to. In fact, I’m sure you’re so busy that you can’t even spare the time to set foot in here. Don’t worry. We’ll receive your aide from now on to ensure you aren’t inconvenienced in any way.”

The two men glare at one another.

“Yes, well I guess you are right. Besides the air on this side of the building always did smell something fierce of boiling cabbage and potatoes. Makes my stomach turn just thinking about it.” He looks once more at Niall, sneering once again before stomping away back down the hall.

It’s still for a moment.

Harry comes forward and gently touches Niall’s shoulder. “Into my office. Come on.”

She nods stiffly and grabs the file that started the whole thing and moves inside the closed off room.

Once he shuts the door, she can’t hold it back.

“He’s a fucking prick! Who does he think he is that he can walk around here saying shit like that to people? Slave labour! My people died so his father and grandfather could eat! He wonders why we hate him so much and it’s attitudes like that that make me want to-“

“Stop.” Harry cuts her off. Anyone walking past might hear her through the walls and report her. “Stop,” he says more gently. “He’s a prick, yes, but you have to let him go for now. Anything you say or do in retaliation will only fuel his campaign of locking you up.”

“How can you be so calm about this? Did you hear what he said to me? I’m your wife! He can’t speak to me that way and especially not in front of you.”

Harry sighs. “Of course I heard which is why he isn’t welcome in this office anymore. As much as you don’t want to hear it, he is still my commanding officer and I have to treat him with respect and listen to him. Doesn’t mean I enjoy it, but I’ll do my best to keep him and people who think like him out of his office.”

He kisses her softly, hoping to calm her down. “Now come on. Put this behind you and keep your head held high.”

——————

Niall holds tightly to Teagan’s hand as they walk through the small park in the heart of London. Lydia is sitting up in her pram wanting to walk like her sister, but not quite fast enough to keep up. “Don’t be cross. You’ll be out soon. Mummy has someone you need to meet and then you can go play with your sister.”

There’s a small clearing up ahead through the lined pathway of trees and knows that is their destination. She had packed a light lunch as well so that it seemed less conspicuous that her and her daughters were out in the park for so long. She knows that she’s being watched, harder now that she has access to sensitive material, but mostly because of her ethnicity and proximity to her husband.

“Niall!”

She looks up to see James waving excitedly from where he’s sat on a bench. Her face lights up when she sees him. It had been too long.

Once she makes it to an open patch of grass, she sets out the blanket she had brought and hugs her brother-in-law tightly. “It’s so good to see you. I thought for sure you and your mother would never want to speak to me again.”

James shakes his head, but looks hard at Teagan. “Is that…?”

“James, you remember Teagan. I think she was only a few days old the last time you saw her.” Niall smiles brightly and pushes Teagan to stand in front of her. “Teagan, this is James. He’s your uncle.”

The little girl smiles cautiously. “Are you Harry’s brother then?”

James falters at that.

“No, darling,” Niall is quick to fix the assumption. “Remember how I told you that Harry isn’t your biological father and how he is taking care of you because Daddy Sean died protecting you? This is Daddy Sean’s brother.”

A small hint of recognition flows through the small girl. She reaches forward tentatively to shake the man’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

James laughs and shakes her hand. “Looks like your mummy is teaching you good manners. We’re family though and family always hugs each other.” He stoops down till he’s squatting on his haunches and holds his arms open to her.

She smiles brightly and quickly sinks into his arms, all too happy to be in his embrace.

Niall lets Teagan and Lydia run around the patch of greenery as she and James take a seat on the worn thin blanket. They make small talk at first, catching each other up on their lives. Niall tells him all about the journey across Ireland and how Sean died and that Lydia was not Sean’s daughter. She tells him about Harry and their life together and her wonderful new family.

James listens, happy to hear that she and the children are safe. He tells her about his mother and how she is none the wiser about him joining the IRA. Much like Sean had done, James joined in secret not wanting their mother to worry. The new leader of the IRA since Breslin’s death was more set on pure Irish blood and arranged marriages for his men to women he knew to be widowed because their first husband was killed in service to the IRA. James was already married to one woman and was expecting a child with her any day now.

“It’s crazy to think that a year ago I was still single and never knew of my brother’s involvement with them. Now, I’m married and expecting my first baby and doing the exact opposite of what my brother wanted so desperately. Niall, you’ve got to help me. I want out of this organisation terribly, but you’ve seen first hand what they do to deserters. And now I’ve got to think of mother and my wife and child. They aren’t as strong as you, Niall. They’d never survive without me.”

Niall bites her lip as she thinks. “Let me tell Harry. He’ll help you. He’ll get you and your family out of there safely. Please, James.”

“I can’t. If I don’t give them what they want,” he looks to the ground, “what they expect, then we are all dead. Please, Niall, any information you can give me to make sure we are safe.”

“Dublin.”

“What?”

“They’re doing a presentation of the troops in Dublin. It’s in a week’s time.” Niall wrings her hands nervously. She can’t believe she told him that. “That’s all I know. Look, I… I see a lot of top secret stuff. Just be patient and I’ll see what I can do.”

——————

She knows she should just talk to Harry. Show him James’ letter and have him fix everything, but she had said she wouldn’t and now she has to make a decision- betray her husband’s trust or let James suffer from Sean’s choices.

“Honestly, Styles. Why couldn’t you just marry a normal English girl and call it a day?”

Niall’s typing slows as the conversation heads more towards her. She had told Harry that she was stepping out for lunch, but a new stack of dead soldiers’ names had come across her desk instead.

“Because I love her. Isn’t that enough?”

“No. She’s a bloody savage. Her kind send young children in with bombs. They’re killing their own children along with our men. But I guess that’s fine when they all have seven children; each family can spare a few. You said yourself that you couldn’t believe she put her son in danger by separating herself from him and willingly let him go into the den of the IRA. That’s why you pushed so hard for boarding school- to protect the boy.”

It’s quiet for a moment before Harry’s voice starts again- an octave lower with a tone of anger running through it. “While I was worried about Aedan’s safety during their escape, I would never question Niall’s decisions when it comes to her children. I pushed for Aedan to go to boarding school to feel like I was actually a father to him and not just the man his mother married so he could eat.”

Niall has heard enough. She purposefully opens her desk drawer before closing it a bit too harshly to try and make her presence known.

Both men turn, startled, and look at her.

“Sorry. Handle slipped from between my fingers. I’m stepping out to grab some lunch. Would either of you like anything?” She smiles softly, but her steely gaze locks onto to Harry.

The fact that he won’t meet her eye tells her that he knows she heard.

“That’s quite alright, darling. Actually, I was going to suggest we head home a little early today. Maybe take the girl’s out for a nice walk around the park.”

Niall smiles sadly. “I would love to, but I received another stack of soldiers. I should like to get their letters done once I’m back.” She grabs her coat and her purse, heading towards the stairwell. “Gentlemen.”

She’s opening the door for the stairs when she hears Harry’s frustrated ‘fuck’ behind her.

——————

The inherently cold attitude continued well into the evening. Harry was walking around his own house on eggshells after what had happened at the office. After the girls were put to bed though, there was nothing left to distract the two of them from each other.

“Niall?”

She takes a deep breath, her back to him as she sits at her vanity brushing out her hair. “Yes, Harry?”

“I think we need to talk about what was said in the office.” Harry’s voice is quiet. If she hadn’t been listening for it, Niall isn’t sure she would have heard him at all.

“And what exactly was said?” She wants to hear him say it to her without thinking he was getting away with it.

Harry sighs and sits gingerly on their bed. “I said that I felt like Aedan wasn’t really my son. It’s just… All my friends have strapping young boys. And don’t get me wrong, I love Aedan with all my heart, but…”

She turns to look at him. “Why didn’t you ever saying anything? You’ve never so much as looked at him differently. Are you telling me that you thought that by shipping him off to some school everything would be okay?”

“No, I,” Harry pauses. He rests his elbows on his knees and cradles his head in his hands. “I just thought that maybe it would make me feel more like his father. All it’s done is drive a wedge between us. Niall, I want more children with you.”

She doesn’t move, not understanding his logic.

“I want a family with you and children that are actually mine. I want a normal family at times. A family that I don’t have to defend at work; a family that is socially accepted.”

Niall sighs heavily and moves to sit next to him on the bed. “I am still extremely angry with you. I would have never even thought this amount of jealousy in you would be possible. However, I am grateful that no matter your feelings you still treat the children all the same.”

She pushes his hair back and looks at the tears that are threatening to fall down his cheeks. “I can’t promise it’ll happen, but we can at least try to get you a family of your own. I mean, Lydia is your daughter through and through, but another child wouldn’t be too terrible.”

“Niall,” Harry kisses at her wrist, “I hope you know that I love you and the children so much. And I’m sure that if I had any other job in the world this would be so much easier. I just hate having to defend my family everyday. Between the remarks from coworkers and the death threats from subordinates’ mothers… I just get tired of it.”

It’s the first time Harry has spoken so freely of the pressures and fears he faces. As angry as she is, Niall wants him to feel comfortable to talk about this with her. “Is is getting worse? I know you said the death threats weren’t bad, but…”

“The threats are just increasing. We don’t even know about the IRA ones since they obviously try to keep that stuff quiet, but the mothers are getting restless. And,” he sighs heavily, “there’s talk of sending me across the Sea. They want to put a face to the commanding.”

Niall blinks. “They’re sending you to Ireland?”

Harry nods. “There’s talk at least. If that happens, I want you and the girls to go stay with my mother. That way I know you’ll be safe and out of London.”

“I can’t stay with your mother. Harry, my job is here. The girl’s lives are here. Aedan is here. I can’t keep uprooting my life every time my husband has a bad feeling. I did it with Sean and I lost him. I can’t do that with you.”

He shakes his head sadly. He’ll never be able to make her understand the danger. She was a soldier and she survived the War to End All Wars. She was cocky and stubborn and determined… And he loved every part of her. “Just, if I end up being sent, promise me you’ll stick close to William. He’s being reassigned to the War Department here in London.”

Niall sighs, but nods. “That I can do.”

She thinks about telling him about James. If Harry is sent where the fighting is, he can find James and make him disappear. The IRA will just assume he’s been captured. They’ll martyr him and James would be safe.

But she doesn’t. She keeps her lips sealed and leans in for a kiss instead.

——————

Work on Monday is a chaotic and hectic scene. Hundreds of soldiers’ names end up on Niall’s desk. She isn’t sure why until around lunch time.

Macready had stormed into Harry’s office shouting and yelling about a security breach. The reason for so many casualties was because bombs had been placed in Dublin streets and exploded as the troops did their presentation. Hundreds of soldiers not expecting to be attacked while they simply marched to show off for a visiting member of the Royal family.

Niall’s breath catches in her throat.

These men- these boys died because of her. The bombing is all because of her. She told James, James told the IRA, the IRA killed them. Now, in some twisted and sick joke, Niall had to write to the grieving mothers.

Tears threaten to fall from her eyes as she looks at the stack of names and addresses in front of her. The blood of all these soldiers is on her hands.

“What’s wrong with you? Worried that maybe your precious Irishmen were killed too?”

Niall focuses on the cold voice directed towards her and looks up to see the man who hated her most staring at her. “How can you be so… All these boys, they have families and mothers. Can’t you put your hatred away for one day to honour the men who died? If you can’t even do that then you are no better than the animals who planted those bombs.”

Macready looks shocked for a fleeting second before schooling his features into one of disinterest. “Men die around here all the time. I would get used to it if I were you.”

Niall watches as he leaves before getting up and heading into her husband’s office. “Harry?”

He’s pale, a piece of paper sitting unopened on his desk.

“Is that…?”

“I haven’t read it.”

She picks it up and grabs his letter opener to break through the seal. “Lieutenant-Colonel Styles, it is after much deliberation and heavy discussion that we have decided to send you back into the field. After the massacre in Dublin, it is quite clear that someone with your military prowess is needed to ensure we win this conflict.”

“Stop,” Harry’s voice is thin and weak.

Niall looks to him and sees the tears running down his face. A cold sweat had broken out along his hairline and for the first time she has known him, Niall senses fear on him.

“Harry?”

“I don’t want to kill anyone again. I can’t watch another friend get shot and die in front of me. Losing Louis and Zayn and Liam…” He looks to her, panic finally winning out as his breaths become more shallow and louder in the quiet of his office. “I can’t do it again. I can’t kill anyone. I can’t.”

Niall is quick to drop the offending letter and hurry around his desk to his side. “Harry. Harry! Look at me. Please, just focus on me.”

The wild panic in his eyes is evident as his gaze meets hers. Not even in the trenches had she seen such a visceral response from him. It terrifies her. She tries her best to stay calm for him. “Listen to me. You’re going to go and you’re going to serve your country and I swear to you, Harry… I swear you’ll be safe. I know you; you’re a good person. You won’t kill anyone. You’ll avoid it. You know that life is too precious. You would never kill anyone unless your life was in danger.”

Harry squeezes his eyes shut as the tears start to fall. He shakes his head from side to side. “That’s the thing. You don’t know me. I’ve killed because of my hatred and anger. I had Germans on their knees in front of me, surrendering, and I executed them because their friends murdered my friends. I wanted revenge and I got it. I can’t do that again. I can’t… It changes you. War changes you.”

Niall holds him close, allows him to cry into the material of her dress. He never talked about the war. He told her small things- Liam’s death, being relocated to Paris, becoming friends with an American pilot- but never things that he had done. It doesn’t change anything. She’s watched many friends die and even had to kill to get where she is. “I know, I know it does. But you’re stronger, older, wiser. You see the value of life. You know it isn’t right, it won’t bring you satisfaction.”

She thinks about the secret she had been keeping from him. She had wanted to tell him on their anniversary in a few weeks, but thought maybe now was the best time.

She kept quiet. This secret she would have to keep. She didn’t need Harry’s judgement clouded by thoughts of her here alone with their unborn child.

\------------

“Are you ready?” Her voice is soft in the darkness of their bedroom.

Harry shakes his head as he holds her tightly in his arms. “You’re never ready for war. Tomorrow though… I guess I’ll be on a boat over there and you’ll be here with the girls. God, it’s terrifying. You’ve already lost so much because of the war and now this rebellion. I don’t want the children to lose me and I sure as hell don’t want you to end up alone with them.”

“We’ll be fine.” Niall says softly. She takes a deep calming breath as his fingers rake through her hair. “I’ve dealt with two children in worse conditions than this.”

“I know, but I promised to always be there for you.” He kisses her forehead as he stares up at the ceiling.

She wants him out of this mood. She can’t send him off to war with these thoughts plaguing his mind. She kisses his neck softly and starts to hum. His eyes flutter shut as he focuses on his wife and this moment together.

_“We’ll sing a song, a soldier’s song_  
With cheering, rousing chorus  
As round our blazing fires we throng  
The starry heavens over us” 

She moves so she’s straddling him, forcing his half hard cock inside herself. Her breath catches mid song as she feels herself give way to him. Her body always welcomes him, the love of her life.

Harry groans and grasps at her hips, holding her in place as he can feel his cock swelling inside her.

_“Impatient for the coming fight_  
And as we wait the morning’s light  
Here in the silence of the night  
We’ll chant a soldier’s song  
Soldiers are we, whose lives are pledged to-“ 

Niall moans loudly as Harry thrusts hard inside her. “Fuck, Harry.” Her hands find purchase on his chest as she starts to move her hips, wanting to please him.

“Keep singing,” he whispers, eyes closed. “Please, Niall.”

_“Some have come from a land beyond the sea_  
Sworn to be free, no more our ancient sire land  
Shall shelter the despot or the slave  
Tonight we man the bearna baoghal  
In Erin’s cause, come woe or weal  
‘Mid cannon’s roar and rifle’s peal  
We’ll chant a soldier’s song” 

She continues on, singing as she makes love to her husband one last time. 

Harry’s hips stutter as his hold on her hips tightens. He moans, her name on the breath of his exhale as he cums inside her.

It isn’t until Harry is fast asleep that Niall realises what she had been singing. The Sinn Féin anthem- the song that sparked the 1916 Rebellion and started this bloody war to begin with.

——————

“Say goodbye to daddy, Lydia.” Niall says softly as she rubs the small girl’s back.

The three year old doesn’t quite understand what’s happening, but she knows enough to know that the tears on her father’s and sister’s faces mean she’s supposed to be sad. “No go, daddy.” 

Harry holds his daughter tightly to his chest, petting over her dark brown curls that she inherited from him. It broke his heart to have to leave her, but he knew it was the only way to keep her safe. “I have to, little one. I have to go make sure England stays safe in this troubling time.”

He passes his daughter back to her mother and kneels down to bring Teagan into his arms. “Be brave, little soldier. Keep mummy happy for me, yeah?”

“I will, father,” Teagan’s voice is soft as she tries to keep her tears at bay as best she can. She feels like she just got used to Harry being there with her and now he’s off to fight in her old home. “Be careful. If you find daddy Sean, can you bring him home to England?”

Harry squeezes her tighter. “I’ll do my best, _saighdiúir beag_.”

Niall stiffens as Harry uses her native language for the first time. It sounds weird with his posh British accent and it makes her stomach turn thinking about him trying to diffuse situations by yelling at her people in their tongue. (She knows he won’t. Gaelic is outlawed and seen as seditious, but it still fills her with an unwelcome feeling of disgust.)

“Well then,” Harry stands as he releases his step daughter and looks at his wife. A flicker of fear crosses his face for a moment, but he does his best to hide it with a smile. “Guess I best be off.”

Niall puts on a strained smile and leans over to kiss him fiercely. She wants to bury this sudden feeling of untrustworthiness she feels about him. “I love you.”

“I love you too- more than you’ll ever know.”

“I put something in your bag for when you need us. Just remember that you aren’t that scared little boy in Somme anymore. You can change things with words, not violence.” She kisses him once more, holding on until the train whistle signifies that he has to leave.

Harry pulls away, fresh tears in his eyes. “I’ll make you proud. All of you.”

“All of us,” She whispers. In that moment she catches a glimpse of the man she fell in love with and can’t help herself. She grabs his hand quickly and brings it to just below her stomach so he can feel the hardness there. “All of us.”

His face drops as he catches on. “Niall…”

“All aboard, men! Dublin waits for no man!”

“Write me,” she says hastily.

——————

_My dearest Niall,_

_I’ve been here only two days and I’ve already seen ten or fifteen dead soldiers. The IRA are ruthless in Dublin, but this is nothing compared to Belfast. I’m grateful that they haven’t seen fit to send me up North, but only time will tell. I spoke with a Major Grimshaw who knows you. He inquired after the children and was happy to hear about Lydia’s birth._

_I wanted to write as well to talk about what you told me at the train station. Are you really pregnant with my child? I’ll be okay either way, but I’ve wanted to see you filled with my child for so long. I told you I would be there for everything when we finally managed, and now I’m far away from you and left you alone. If you are, please consider heading to my mother’s. I don’t want you alone during this time._

_Give the girls kisses and hugs for me._

_All the love I have to give,  
Harry_

Niall reads the letter for probably fiftieth time since receiving it this morning. She loves Harry so much, but she can’t go to his mother’s for multiple reasons.

“Morning, Styles.”

Niall looks up to see General Macready standing in front of her desk. Harry had only been gone a week, but somehow, the ignorant man found more and more reasons to show his face here in Harry’s office. “What can I do for you this morning, General?”

He drops a stack of letters on her desk. “We intercepted a messenger going between Belfast and Dublin. However, they’re in Gaelic. We need you to translate them immediately.”

“And what makes you think I know Gaelic? It’s been outlawed by your government longer than I’ve been alive. Wouldn’t it stand to reason then that I wouldn’t know the language?” She sits back in her chair, staring him down.

“Well,” he smiles patronisingly, “it’s a good thing Harry told us that you still speak it occasionally. Guess this seditious act can go overlooked.”

Niall’s calm facade falters slightly. “_This_ seditious act?”

“We know you met up with an IRA member. I believe the file we have on him names him as a James Cullen?”

“My brother-in-law.”

He pauses, trying to make it obvious that he’s thinking. “Funny. Harry never mentioned having an Irish brother. He has a sister, a damn beauty she is, but not a brother.”

“James was my first husband’s brother. I thought that he still had a right to see his niece and nephew.” Niall tried to quickly backtrack.

Macready shrugs. “You can do what you like. Just translate those documents for us and we can see about losing the information we have against you.”

He leaves, leaving Niall alone in the office to have a small panic attack.

——————

_“Tell me ma when I go home_  
The boys won’t leave the girls alone  
They pull my hair, they stole my comb  
But that’s all right till I go home  
She is handsome, she is pretty  
She is the belle of Dublin City  
She is a-courting one two three  
Pray, would tell me who is she” 

Niall waves the smoke out of her face as she makes her way to the back of the pub. James had given her the name of an old pub for their meeting place and she’s immediately cautious. Macready’s words ring in the back of her mind about her traitorous ways.

“Niall!” James spots her first and waves her over to a booth in the far back corner of the pub.

She smiles softly and weaves her way through drunk patrons and dancing trios to make it to her brother-in-law. “This is a very Irish pub for wanting to lay low.”

“That’s the best cover, innit? You know how we paddies love a good pint and song.” There’s another man sitting at the table across from James.

“Niall, this is Eoghan McDermott. He’s the new leader of the IRA since Breslin’s disappearance.” James happily moves over to create space beside him for her to sit down. “He wanted to come along and meet the informant.”

“Pleasure,” Eoghan says with a nod of his head.

“Likewise,” Niall says softly. “Please, I came here to make a request. My husband has been shipped off to fight in Dublin. I just want reassurance that no matter what, he remains unharmed.”

Eoghan chuckles lightly. “You want me to tell my men to ensure the safety of a British soldier? Absolutely not.”

“That’s the price for my information.” She pulls a photo of Harry from her purse. “That’s him. He writes me constantly so if I catch any wind that he gets injured the information stops.”

James grabs the photo and looks at the man, frowning. “Aye, we know who he is. He’s the high ranking British official who was just sent to Dublin. He’s staying in the Castle with Grimshaw. We have orders to shoot to kill right now.”

“High ranking?” Eoghan considers it for a moment. “Fine. We have a deal, but you also have to tell us when they get information on us.”

Niall nods quickly. “They have correspondences they intercepted on the way between Belfast and Dublin. They can’t read them though since they can’t speak Gaelic. They want me to translate it.”

“And have you?”

“Not to them,” Niall says quickly. “I can make something up though. Whatever you want it to say. They’ll never know the difference.”

James smiles. “Brilliant. Tell them there’s going to be an uprising in Dublin at the GPO again. They’ll storm it, disrupt everyday citizens… We’ll actually hit Belfast instead.”

“We’ll put a few faces in the GPO too so it’ll look credible for you.” Eoghan nods as he thinks up a plan. “Aye, I like it. We’ll plan it for a week from today.”

Niall looks skeptically at the two men. What has she gotten herself into?

——————

“Alright, we’ve gotten our orders, men. Looks like the IRA are feeling a little sentimental.” Grimshaw addresses the small force they’ve been ordered to send out. “You’re headed to the GPO. There’s chatter about another rising. We’re going to cut it off.”

Harry steps forward. “I’ll be accompanying you today. We are not to engage civilians. Enemy combatants only.”

“So anyone with a weird accent,” a voice from the men shouts out. The rest chuckle. 

Harry frowns, but says nothing more on the subject. “Let’s move out.”

——————

They’re there for hours, checking every single person who walks in and out of the General Post Office. Little old ladies looking to send a letter to their son in Donegal, children coming in to get some stamps for their mum, business men just in to get the latest newspaper- no one suspicious.

Harry is ready to call his troops back when there’s the sound of a gunshot from outside. “Move!”

More gunshots are heard and yelling back and forth in English and Gaelic.

When Harry finally makes his way outside to take in the whole situation, he’s confronted with the sight of at least of his men lying on the ground, dead. He looks around, trying to pinpoint the location of the IRA gunmen. He counts ten, maybe fifteen, men across the street well hidden between the shopfronts. “Stop! Hold your fire! You're firing into civilians!”

The gunfire continues for another few minutes before the IRA men disappear just as fast as they appeared. Only six soldiers died, but many civilians lay dead across the street.

It’s disconcerting when a young boy, no older than Aedan, approaches the steps of the General Post Office singing.

_“Impatient for the coming fight_  
And as we wait the morning’s light  
Here in the silence of the night  
We’ll chant a soldier’s song  
Soldiers are we, whose lives are pledged to Ireland.” 

Before Harry could place where he’s heard the song, a gunshot rings out and the boy is tumbling down the stairs back to the street. He turns to face his soldier who fired the shot. “What in God’s name have you done? You just killed an innocent child.”

The soldier shrugged. “He was singing Sinn Féin’s anthem. The song is considered seditious. He’s a fucking paddy anyway.”

Harry watches in horror as his men step over the boy’s body to tend to their own. That’s when he first realises that this isn’t a war. This is hell on earth.

——————

_My dearest Niall,_

_I don’t want to be here another minute. Seeing my men die is tragic, but watching them kill innocent people under the guise of protecting the crown? It’s enough to make me sick. My men killed a little boy- no older than Aedan for singing a song. A song, Niall! And then they treated him like he was nothing by just stepping over his body. We had more respect for the Germans in the war._

_The song the boy was singing was so familiar to me. That’s when I realised it was the song you sang to me the night before I left when we made love. I know the song is considered treason, but it sounded so beautiful coming from your lips. I can’t wait to be back in our home with you so you can sing it to me again and again._

_How are the girls doing? I miss them terribly. I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re going through back home. If you need, bring Aedan back home and we can do boarding school next year. I just want my family together when I finally come home- whenever that may be._

_I wrote to William as well. He knows you are alone in the house so he and Yasmine will check up on you from time to time._

_I love you, Niall. I can’t wait to be home and holding you in my arms. Macready said you were doing excellent work to help end this war and bring me home. I put all my faith and trust in you._

_All my love,  
Harry_

——————

William laughs as he tosses Lydia into the air. “You’re getting so big! I can’t believe you’re already three.”

Yasmine smiles softly at her husband before turning back to help Niall in the kitchen. “You’re so brave to do this all alone. I couldn’t even imagine having three children already with another one on the way and your husband being gone like this.”

“You get used to it,” Niall shrugs as she lays the dough across the top of her pie. “You have to remember that I’ve been pretty independent since I was sixteen. My father went away to war and never came home and then they took my brother. Me going was a desperate act to try and find my family again. And then my husband is killed and I’m left with children on my own.”

“I always forget how young you are. You’ve lived such a crazy life in such a short amount of time.” Yasmine says in awe.

Niall laughs and tries to brush off the subject. “Enough about me. Let’s talk about you and William. You’ve been married long enough, when should I expect a playmate for little Lydia?”

“Soon, if I have anything to say about it.” William says loudly as he heads into the kitchen, interrupting the women’s conversation. “We’ve been trying, but so far we’ve been unsuccessful.”

“It’ll happen when the time is right. Sean and I had so many unfortunate pregnancies, but we were blessed with two beautiful children. Now Harry and I have Lydia with another on the way.” Niall smiles softly and places a hand on her mostly flat stomach.

“Uncle William! You have to make Lydia fly again!” Teagan squeals as she pops her head around the corner.

William laughs as he takes off back down the hall.

“How are you going, Niall? Really,” Yasmine asks once they’re alone. She could tell something was bothering the woman.

Niall knows she could say something here. She could call William back into the room and tell them everything; from James’ original letter to the meeting with the new IRA leader. She could probably get Harry back faster if she said something.

But she gave James her word.

“I’m okay, really. Just tired and missing Harry. I desperately want him home.” She says softly.

——————

Niall typed away on her typewriter as fast as she could to try and get the letters of condolences out to the mothers of the men who died. She wanted to make sure they were all in the post today or they would have to wait the weekend.

“Styles!”

She looked up, flustered, when she heard Macready call her name. She flinched as he slammed a hand on her desk, splaying the messages they asked her translate across her desk.

“You lied to us. We took these to our intelligence office to have them back up what you said and these letters spoke of the fighting in Belfast! Not Dublin!”

Her breath caught in her throat. “I… I told you the information may not be accurate. I don’t speak the language fluently. Your government-“

“Our government. You are an English citizen after all, correct? And even if you were still clinging to your Irish nationality, they belong to England too. So it is our government if you want to continue with your excuses.”

Niall takes a deep breath to try and keep her emotions in check. “Our government banned the language around a hundred years ago and then the famine wiped out most of those who still spoke it. Yes, my family used it, but it doesn’t mean we spoke it fluently. My father, god rest his soul, wouldn’t have been able to translate these for you since even he couldn’t read or speak the language.”

“If it’s been as hard as you say to keep it taught to children,” Macready sneers, “then why do the IRA know it so well?”

“Because it’s a sign of Irish nationalism. It’s a way to fight back against British imperialism without causing harm.” Niall gets angry with the accusations at this point. “If you have something you’d like to accuse me of or ask me, General, then I suggest you do just that.”

“I’m accusing you of high treason against the crown because of the substantial evidence we have against you.” Macready seems almost gleeful as he starts to tear down her self righteous facade. “You see, the IRA think they’re so clever to have a little pub in the heart of London and use it as a business front. Too bad they don’t check their employees before giving them nightly access. I do believe you were seen the night before the fighting in the little pub discussing orders with a Eoghan McDermott and James Cullen.”

Niall can feel the colour drain from her face at the mention of the two men. “I… James is my brother-in-law. I was meeting with him since I he was in London. I didn’t know Eoghan was going to be there.”

Macready leans forward, hands braces against the top of her small desk. “James is your downfall and I for one can’t wait to watch you burn.”

——————

My dearest Niall,

I’m sure you’ve heard about the partition of your homeland. Macready sent communications that we’re now trying to help set up the Sinn Féin government. We’re apparently going to try and get the government up and running before reuniting the two separate territories. I think the people who run our government don’t quite understand the pride these people have. Every single civilian I’ve talked to has proudly stated that they’re Irish, not English.

The civilians here in Dublin seem to at least breathe a sigh of relief when they see me and my men coming. I try my best to keep the peace between them. After watching my men shoot the boy for singing, I waited for his mother to come and collect his body. I watched a mother mourn the loss of her child and I knew I never wanted to see another go through the pain and heartbreak she went through.

We’ve had a few fights with the IRA in the streets, but it’s not been nearly as bad as I expected it to be. Belfast has apparently been taking the brunt of the destruction. There was a weird moment in the last gunfight where the IRA has me clearly in their sights and didn’t even attempt to shoot at me. I even approached them after the fighting stopped and they turned the other way. It’s unusual.

I miss you and the children terribly. Please be sure to give them my love.

All my love,  
Harry

——————

“I can’t keep doing this, James. Please just let me tell Harry so he can get you out of there safely.” Niall’s voice is pleading with her brother-in-law over the phone.

Ever since Macready spoke to her about knowing she was meeting up with known IRA members, she would only speak to him over the phone. She’s paranoid about her every move. “James, he can get you out of there safely and no one will be the wiser.”

_“Niall, you don’t get it. I don’t want to leave Ireland, just the IRA. I have a wife and a kid on the way. I can’t leave the country. Besides, my whole life is here. My mum still needs me and you know she’ll never leave Dublin.”_

Niall sighs heavily and looks over at her daughters playing on the floor. She wonders how different her life would be if Sean had just stayed in Mullingar and never left the IRA. Would he still be alive? Would he have even raised Lydia knowing she was another man’s child? Would she still be worried about her safety everyday? “James, just promise me that if you don’t let me tell Harry that no one from the IRA will tell him either.”

_“You have my word.”_

——————

Niall frowns as she’s given another stack of folders to process. “Any word on when the men are coming back? I thought the partition was supposed to end this all faster. All these young boys…”

“Well, and you didn’t hear from me, but the partition isn’t going the way the government wanted.” The secretary from the mail department says sadly as she places the thick and heavy stack on Niall’s desk. “Apparently it only made things worse as the Irish took it as gaining their independence. Heard they’re looking for Michael Collins so they can bring a treaty to the table.”

“One can only hope.” Niall says softly. She picks up the first file wanting to believe that maybe her loved ones would be making it home soon.

——————

“They’re sending me to Dublin to work under Harry.” William’s voice is shaky as he delivers the news. They had come over to have dinner with Niall and the girls which had become a weekly tradition.

Niall makes a shocked noise as she sets her drink back down. “Why now? I thought… I thought peace was coming?”

William sighs. “Apparently Harry’s men are the only patrol the citizens trust. They want Harry and I to try and keep the peace on the streets while Collins is here in London negotiating the Treaty.”

He grabs his wife’s hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. “They expect I’ll only be gone for two or three months.”

“You’re still gone though,” Yasmine says softly as she tries to hide how much this news had affected her. “You’ll be gone and I’ll be here, wishing you were still with me.”

“Harry said that the attacks on him and his men have stopped though. If you’ll be in Harry’s unit, at least you’ll be safe.” Niall isn’t sure she can bargain for another life with the IRA, but she’d have to try.

“I ship out in two days. I just wanted to be sure you both knew so that you could comfort each other while Harry and I am away.”

“Just be safe. That’s all I can really ask.” Yasmine finally lets the tears that had been gathering in her eyes fall freely.

——————

William sways a little as he steps onto the dock. The journey hadn’t been long, but the constant swaying of the boat was such a juxtaposition to the calmness of land. He grabs his gear as he listens to the orders being shouted at the influx of soldiers coming off the boat.

“Reserves off to the right! You’ll be boarding the train to Belfast! Everyone else to the left! Come on! Move it!”

William shuffles off to the left, eyes scanning for any sort of sign as to where he was supposed to be heading. He spots a familiar face soon enough. “Harry!”

“William!” A smile splits across Harry’s face as the younger soldier makes his way over to his commanding officer and friend. “I’m glad they sent you over. Macready has been hesitant in delaying information to our unit. Doesn’t like how friendly we’ve been with the populace.”

“Of course,” William rolls his eyes as the two head towards the car waiting for them outside the port. “Niall said she had a run in with him and she’s been skittish since. Apparently he accused her of conspiring with the enemy.”

Harry stops in his tracks, baffled. “He did what? She never told me! Why wouldn’t she say anything? She knows I’d talk to him about it.”

William throws his gear into the back of the car. “Probably why she didn’t say anything. She’s trying to keep a low profile and doesn’t want the attention and hostility from Macready.”

Harry just makes a frustrated noise as they both pile in.

“She has been worried about you though. She’s constantly asking if I’ve heard if you’ve been hurt or if I know when you’re coming home. She’s anxious to have you back.” William tries to lighten the mood. “She’s just starting to show as pregnant too. She was talking to Yasmine the other day and she swears it’s a boy. Said this pregnancy is going similarly too Aedan’s so it can only mean it’s a boy.”

“I’ll have to write her soon. It’s been weeks since I’ve had any time to sit and write to her.”

——————

_My dearest Niall,_

_William arrived this morning. I’ve never been so happy to see a familiar face. I wish it had been you coming off the boat, but I know that you have made it quite clear that you have no intention of coming home to a war-torn Ireland. I don’t blame you though. Seeing the mess that some of the streets have become breaks my heart. I want to be able to bring the children here and show them your home, but it will be years before Dublin will be whole again._

_When he arrived, William told me that Macready was bothering you and making you a target. Why didn’t you say anything to me? I know you can take care of yourself, but Macready will stop at nothing until he’s proven right. Let me talk to him. I’m sure he has nothing on you-_

Harry stops writing the second he hears the first gun shot. It’s been so peaceful around the Castle, he almost thinks he imagines it. There’s a shout and more gun fire that spurs him into action. He grabs his pistol and heads out, hoping to stop whatever fire fight had started.

The sight before him sees three of his men lying on the cobblestones of the courtyard, staining the carefully laid rock a deep red. He can see instantly that they were the watch and were now dead. There’s a few others clutching at arms or at their sides. They’ve been hit, but at least they’ve got a fighting chance.

“Oi!” William’s voice is loud and clear over the loud ringing of the guns. “Come on, mate! We’re all British subjects. There’s no need for violence!”

Harry sees it, but doesn’t know how to stop it.

William is turned with his back to the street where the IRA are firing into the courtyard. Louis’ son is trying to get the British to put down their guns, but they aren’t listening to him. It’s the swift movement on the street that draws Harry’s attention.

A rifle pointed straight at William’s back.

His eyes widen and he quickly runs towards the younger male, but he hears the gun fire before he can do anything. He throws himself against William, crying out in agony as the bullet rips through his shoulder.

The gun fire stops immediately.

There’s shouting and swearing coming from the street as the rebel soldiers all drop their guns and quickly turn and run away from the bloody scene.

“Fucking hell, James! Eoghan is gonna kill you for this!”

——————

_High upon the gallows tree_  
Swung the noble hearted three  
By the vengeful tyrant stricken in their bloom  
But they met him face to face  
With the courage of their race  
And they went with souls undaunted to their doom 

Niall throws open the doors to the hidden Irish pub. She knows Eoghan is here and she wants answers. She wants to know why Harry’s name came across her desk this morning as one of the injured. She spots James instead.

“Niall!” His shout of her name is surprised. She obviously hadn’t been expected. “What brings you to this dark corner of London?”

“My husband was shot by one of your men. I thought we had an agreement.” She’s angry, tears welling in her eyes at the thought of Harry alone. He’s already had to deal with being hurt so much without her around. She just wanted to be there with him.

_Girt around with cruel foes_  
Still their courage proudly rose  
For they thought of hearts that loved them far and near  
Or the millions true and brave  
O’er the ocean’s swelling wave  
And the friends in holy Ireland ever dear 

“It was an accident,” James shrugs. “He jumped in front of another soldier. Besides, it was just his shoulder. He’ll be right as rain soon enough.”

Niall frowns. “Just his… James! It doesn’t matter! Imagine my surprise when I then got a report of IRA members yelling your name after it happened. Are you the one who shot my husband?”

_Climbed they up the rugged stair_  
Rang their voices out in prayer,  
Then with England's fatal cord around them cast,  
Close beside the gallows tree  
Kissed like brothers lovingly,  
True to home and faith and freedom to the last. 

Now it was James’ turn to frown. He pulled a cigarette from behind his ear and quickly lit it, blowing the smoke into her face. “That’s a heavy accusation. You should know how this IRA business goes Niall. He’s just another English soldier that belongs in the ground.”

“You… You weren’t forced into the IRA were you?”

“Took you long enough to figure that out. You really think someone who was forced into this would be that close with their leader?” James scoffs and takes another long drag on his cigarette. “My brother was a complete cock up. Leaving the only cause he ever knew was right because his whore of a wife told him to? He deserved what happened to him.”

_Never till the latest day shall the memory pass away,_  
Of the gallant lives thus given for our land;  
But on the cause must go,  
Amidst joy and weal and woe,  
Till we make our Isle a nation free and grand. 

_"God save Ireland!" said the heroes;_  
"God save Ireland" said they all.  
Whether on the scaffold high  
Or the battlefield we die,  
Oh, what matter when for Erin dear we fall! 

——————

Niall finds herself outside of Macready’s office the next morning.

She had been wrestling with herself all night on if she should turn herself in, but her loyalty to her husband outweighed everything now that her last connection to her home country had been jarringly severed. She knew she had to turn herself in, even if it meant putting herself in danger.

“Come in,” the gruff voice she had come to fear called from the other side of the door.

Niall pushes open the door slowly, entering and closing the heavy mahogany door behind her. “General? I… I’ve come to turn myself in.”

Macready stops writing and looks up at the woman in front of him. She’s trembling, wringing her hands in an anxious habit that slowly making him frustrated. “Turn yourself in? For what?”

“Treason.”

The word hangs heavy in the air. It had barely been audible, but such a poignant word can never truly not be heard. The tension spikes tenfold.

“Missus Styles, I know your actions seem treacherous, but you don’t have to worry. As long as you supply us with information, I’m sure we can make this whole thing disappear.” Macready smiles as he points to a chair in front of his desk.

Niall gently takes a seat, letting her hand come to rest over the small bump that had become noticeable since Harry’s leaving. “I… I don’t know how much I can tell you, but I can tell you who and where. Eoghan McDermott, he’s the new IRA leader. I know they’re trying to keep his identity low profile- treating him like an everyday IRA soldier- but he’s calling the shots. I don’t know who for certain is his second, but I know James… James and he are close.”

She stops. She thinks of her only connection to back home. She knows she’s throwing everything away by giving out this information, but Harry was hurt and her family had to come first. Her eyes well with tears as she realises exactly where the IRA had decided to set up their headquarters. “Sean, forgive me.”

She presses harder against her bump, feeling the child that was growing inside of her- her and Harry’s child. “IRA headquarters are set up in a small town called Mullingar. There’s a house there owned by the Cullen family. The woman of the house is an older woman named Mary. She doesn’t know anything, I promise. Her sons may have been in the IRA, but she has no idea. James still lives with her. The house is his since Sean is…” she pauses as she tries not to let her emotions get the best of her. “Dead. Since Sean is dead.”

She continues on, telling him all about her deal to keep Harry safe. She tells him about the small bits of information she passed along to ensure her husband’s safety. She tells him about the misinformation she feeds them. Everything. She tells him that the deal has been broken since Harry was injured- that her own brother-in-law had been the one to shoot her husband.

Macready takes notes over everything she says. When silence finally falls over the room, he sets down his pen and leans back in his chair. “Normally, the price of treason is death. However, the information you’ve given us is enough for us to look the other way.”

He sighs, closing the small notebook in which he had written everything down. “You are relieved of your position here. Harry will not be told of your treachery. That is up to you to disclose that to him. Thank you for your honesty, Missus Styles. You may see yourself out of this building.”

——————

_My dearest Niall,_

_I know that this war is coming to an end. Collins and Parliament have signed the treaty. The Republic Of Ireland is its own nation. The men are being shipped north or back home with the exception of a few of us. I’m being kept here until my shoulder has healed a little more. William has defied orders, as usual, and is staying by side instead of taking a boat home. I should be cleared to leave soon though. I’ll be home in time for our child to be born, and that is all that matters to me._

_I can’t wait to see you again and hold you close. I love you so much._

_All my love,  
Harry_

——————

“At least we’re not going to be under attack anymore.” William says cheerfully as he sits beside Harry. It was getting dark, but they had forgotten to eat earlier at meal time so Harry pulled a few strings to get them a late supper.

Harry laughs as he tries his best to eat with his left hand. He’d been having difficulties doing anything since his dominant arm was in a sling. The doctor told him he only needed another week though before he was set to take it out and use his arm normally. “Feels nice to be able to relax. Can’t believe you’ve only been here a month though. They honestly shipped you off for nothing.”

William shrugs. “Honestly it’s quite strange to be back here. The last time I was here I was with Niall and the children. We were just trying to safely get to London to reunite you two. God, that was years ago already. Lydia hadn’t even been born yet.”

“Strange how time seems to move so fast, yet slow. The years I’ve been married to Niall seemed so short, but in that time we had our daughter, sent Aedan off to boarding school, and now we’re expecting another child. It’s so…” Harry gesticulates wildly as he can’t find the correct word to describe their time together.

“What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get back?”

Blushing, Harry hides his smile in his glass. “I’m going to wrap Niall up in my arms and hold her close. Show her how much I missed her.”

There’s a shout from down the hall and a single gunshot rings out. It’s eerily quiet for a moment and William slowly reaches for his pistol.

“In here!”

William waits until the doors to the small dining area are thrown open to quickly pull his gun out, firing into the now open doorway.

It quiet once he runs out of bullets. “What the-“

A loud bang is heard and William falls to the ground.

“William!”

“Don’t move.”

Harry stops, looking up at the man now pointing a gun at him. He raises his uninjured arm in a sort of surrendering type gesture and does his best to show himself as no threat. “What the hell is going on here?”

The man sneers, waving the gun around. “It’s about time you filthy English bastards paid for everything you’ve done to my family.”

“Look, the war is-“

“This isn’t about the war. This is revenge. You can thank your fucking whore of a wife for this.” The man scoffs as he finally trains the gun on Harry. “Just tell me, does she have any remorse for what she’s done?”

Harry frowns. “Niall? I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

The man chuckles. “Of course you don’t. She always did know how to keep a secret. She the only reason you’re still alive. She made a deal with the IRA- information for your protection. You went and fucked it all up by getting yourself shot.”

The man finally focuses his gaze firmly on Harry. “Her loyalty to you cost me my brother’s life. Sean never would have become a traitor if she didn’t fill his head with ridiculous thoughts of a peaceful England. Then she killed Bressie. She killed the leader of the IRA and nearly cost us Irish people our freedom from England’s tyrannical rule.” His grip on the gun tightens. He can feel his anger rise as he thinks about everything. “Then when I finally get to see my son’s children again, they’re proper fucking English children. They don’t even remember Sean; they think you’re their father. Then she double crosses us. She told that fucking general where the IRA headquarters were and…”

He closes his eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. “They burned it to the ground. Didn’t even care who was inside. My mother… My mother was innocent. She had no clue that her home was IRA headquarters and they killed her.”

“Niall, wouldn’t do anything like. She wouldn’t betray England or me that way.” Harry knows she had never been fully happy with her new home country, but to blatantly betray it like this?

“If you were going to make it home, I’d have you ask her about James and Mary Cullen, but you’re not going to make it out alive.” He clicks the safety off, aiming for Harry’s head.

William sits up suddenly, Harry’s dropped pistol in his hand. He fires four shots, watching as each bullet hit true to their target. The man stumbles backwards before collapsing into a heap, dead.

Harry turns to his friend. “Left that to the last minute, didn’t you?”

“Wasn’t exactly sure what his intentions were. The fact that was talking about Niall threw me off a bit.” William shrugs and hands Harry back his gun. “I’m thinking though that we should probably request the next boat back to England.”

——————

Yasmine and Niall stand at the docks, anxiously waiting for their husbands to disembark. Niall has Lydia in her arms and Teagan grabbing at her skirt to make sure they were close. It had been exciting when Macready reached out to tell her that Harry was coming home. She knew she had missed him, but she never realised how much until the idea of him being with her again was suddenly a possibility.

“Look!” Yasmine whispers as the two men appear on the dock. They’re laughing and joking, probably not expecting their wives to be there.

Niall couldn’t help it. She shouts her husband’s name as loudly as she can.

His head whips around, looking right at her. The smile on his face triples in size and he leave William to run to his wife and children.

The first kiss back is always the sweetest and this was no exception. Harry pulls back reluctantly to look over his family. His hand comes to rest on Niall’s stomach, eyes watering as the proof of his growing child is before him. “God, you’re-“

“Six months along. He’ll be here soon.”

“He?”

Niall chuckles. “Just call it a hunch.”

Harry kisses her once more. He stops again however when he feels Teagan tugging on his jacket. “Daddy, what about me?”

He laughs and picks her up. “I missed you so much. You and your sister and your brother.” He kisses at her curls. “Let’s get home. I want to hear about everything I missed.”

**Author's Note:**

> So... I didn't kill anyone this time... That's improvement.


End file.
